Mixed Bag Wednesday

Here are a few updates on things I have been working on, and a new journal project. Also, a bit about the Nick Bantock book The Trickster's Hat, which I just bought, and am looking forward to playing around with the 49 creative exercise challenges he writes about.  Here we go.

First, the Drunken Spider Vest. I have pretty much finished the web part...I think. I will add more beads as time goes on. I still need to find little bugs to add to the web, and a nice spider pin for the center. I have also started beading around the armholes, and will bead around the neckline.

This is all done in back stitch with either embroidery floss or doubled quilting thread.



Next is a photo of three of the many hair ornaments I have done lately. I sold several of these at a recent SCA event, and got lots of positive feedback, so that made me feel good. I was attempting to rig a quickie light box by holding a white sheet of paper behind the ornaments, but with dubious success. Light box is still on my "to do" list. The wire is either hammered copper, aluminum, or steel. I really enjoy making these and unless I add vintage pieces to the prong, I can keep the price fairly low. These three would have gone for $10 each.

Moving right along...

I bought Nick Bantock's book The Tricksters Hat, mainly because I love anything by Nick Bantock, but also because it was a play book for creativity. By play book I don't mean a list of tunes from the local radio station, I mean play...as in get out in the dirt and build a town with whatever you can find (yes, that is one of the lessons). I am not going to go into detail because I would much rather you bought the book ( I imagine Nick would rather you did as well). All I am going to do is give the lesson number and post a photo of what I did. Maybe it will pique your interest enough to go see what the fun is all about. I hope so.

So, this is a photo of lesson one. The lesson only involved the two 1"x1" boxes, the rest of the doodles I did on my own 'cause I was having way too much fun to stop.

Lastly...and you might want to sit down for this one, since I have posted many times here how unsuccessful I am at this...I am starting another journal. Now, before you scoff (and you would have every right, considering my past stalling out with previous journals), this one is a bit different. I put a limitation on it, mainly so that I wouldn't get bogged down and too serious. The journal itself is small, only 5 1/2" by 4 1/4", so I can't get too carried away. It was a thank-you gift given to me last October. The cover is actual vellum (sheep skin) and the pages hand bound. It has been sitting on a shelf in my "studio" ever since it was given to me. However, with this new spur from my Nick Bantock book, and the fact that I really do like journals, I am giving it another go. Here are the limitations: I can only pick one thing from the day to write about, and the artwork must be quick and small. Actually there is a third limitation...the artwork must be done within 15 min. The reasoning behind this is that, with my previous journals I would start out gangbusters with wonderfully complex pages...then slowly lose interest because they took too much time. Also, my handwriting is ghastly and my spelling worse (which I am going to ignore) With this small journal, I am forcing my brain to KISS — Keep It Simple, Stupid!

I did the first page yesterday, the day after the lunar eclipse, which I thought a good omen for starting something new. I stayed up until 2 am watching the magic of it, and even woke Robert up from a sound sleep at 1 am because I couldn't bear the thought that he would miss it all. I think he was grateful, but he was still half asleep, so it was hard to tell.

The last photo is about the farrier coming to trim the horse's hooves this morning. The number three is because we have three horses. Sorry for my finger in the picture, but the journal doesn't lay flat so I had to hold the page open.

Again, the main focus of this journal is to keep it quick, simple, and not overworked. Besides, my days aren't all that exciting, so for today, the fact that the farrier was due was sorta the high point. Endless entries about where I go (pretty much nowhere), how I worked the horses, or did blah, blah, blah, is what got me bogged down before.

So that is Mixed Bag Wednesday, with lots of fun stuff to look forward to all summer.

An Idea And Its Source

For years I have loved and collected books by the artist and writer Nick Bantock, best known for his Griffin and Sabine series, but he has done other illustrated books as well. Two of my favorites are The Venetian's Wife, and The Forgetting Room. The other day I discovered his FB page, which I dived into like Alice down the rabbit hole, scrolling through older and older posts of artwork, creativity advice, limericks, and artists tips on process and tools. But what he also does on this FB site, along with posting his artwork, is to tell short stories to go with some of the pieces. Intriguing little snippets that pique your interest and make you look at the art a bit closer.

I loved the concept and thought it would be a great way to give myself writing prompts, while also encouraging me to do more artwork — something I've been trying to get back into for months. Granted, I'm no Nick Bantock, but I thought it would be fun to play with his idea, so, periodically I will post a piece of my own work and make up a very short little story to go with it. I hope to have my first piece up by next week.

It might make a nice change from the stitching, beading, altered clothing, jewelry and horse stuff I usually post. Which brings up another thing I am changing...again. I'm going to reboot my horse blog. I've been posting a lot of horse stuff on FB, and a little of it here, which not everyone is interested in. With a new horse at our barn and lots of equine activities planned for this summer, it seems like a good idea go back to Equine Madness for all of that. If you're interested, there is a link under my header.

Hope you'll stay tuned...

Two Quick (Sorta) Rainy Day Projects

Yes, it was another day of rain. For a change of pace from stitching I decided to work on jewelry instead. This is all part of an ongoing endeavor to upgrade my jewelry pieces before reopening my Etsy shop. Although this new necklace may be a keeper, as it matches my green Italian Renaissance dress beautifully.

The main focus of the necklace is a vintage brooch I have had for a few years, but couldn't seem to find the correct color of green stones to match. It is a beautiful, deep, emerald green. It wasn't until recently that I stumbled on a string of glass beads at JoAnn's that matched the old stone perfectly. I kept the necklace pretty simple, since I wanted the old brooch to be the focal point, and also because it is so over-the-top ornate, adding anything else would have been severe overkill. I also worked it so that the brooch can be removed from the necklace and worn as originally intended. The pin back is intact. I think I am going to get some of those small rubber ends for wire earrings and put one over the point of the pin back, to keep it from snagging on material or poking the wearer. I have several other old brooches to use for pendants that I will make detachable as well, so those little rubber dudes will come in handy.

The earrings were originally part of the necklace, but I didn't like the way they looked next to the brooch, so I took them off and used them for earrings. I personally would never wear the earrings and necklace at the same time, since I don't do "matchy-matchy" but I have had some customers not buy a necklace because it didn't have matching earrings.

The next little piece was made from a skull that dangled from an old key chain. I have no idea where I got it, but I suspect it was in a stash of broken or mismatched bits either given to me, or that I bought by the bag somewhere. Same thing for the brass medallion. Don't remember where or when I got that piece either. Mr. Skull has been hanging around for a while, waiting for me to decide what to do with him. After I finished the necklace I started playing around with some other bits and bobs and eventually came up with this single earring. It's meant to be worn as a single since it's kinda...unique. It may sound weird, but to me it looks like a skull you might find in an old cemetery that had worked it's way back to the surface and was just lying within a shrubbery hung with bright berries. But you know, that's just me.

I noticed, after I posted this same photo to FB, that you can see the reflection of my arm in the goblet. I was holding a piece of white paper behind the goblet so my messy work table wouldn't show up in the picture.  How nice that my red sweatshirt matched the red of beads on the earring. Almost like I planned it that way.....yeah, right.

Webs and Beads

This is an update on two projects I am currently working on. Actually, the lace shrug is done, but the spiderweb vest will take a lot more time. I am having a ton of fun doing it, though, and even my husband was impressed enough yesterday to remark on how how much he liked it. It has been raining for two days, so in between house and barn chores, I have had lots of time to work on this, and it has been a great way to use up bead odds and ends left over from other projects. Still looking for the perfect spider to put in the middle when the web is finished, but I know I'll find one eventually.

So far I have used pearls and beads of various colors and sizes. What is hard to see in my photos (again, taken indoors on a dark and rainy day — and yeah, I need a way to fix that problem, I know), is that I have started sewing tiny, sparkly white rocailles in the spokes of the web, and on some of the ladder threads. I tried very hard to get them to show up in my spotlight, but wasn't very successful. The web is made of embroidery thread — two strands doubled for the thickest spokes, two strands single for the next size down, and regular quilting thread, doubled, for the finest. At this point, it is all done in backstitch. Even the beads are sewn in with backstitch.

I have lots more work to do on this, and lots more beads and things I want to add, so it looks like leaves and maybe flower petals have gotten caught in the web.  I am also going to add bugs tangled in it. Like I said, I am having a lot of fun with this vest, and keeping a sense of humor over the design. I am also getting a lot of listening in on my collection of books-on-tape and CDs. Mostly classic murder mysteries by Ngiao Marsh, Georgette Heyer, Ellis Peters, and Elizabeth Peters with a bit of James Lee Burke thrown in for atmosphere. Love his books. 

These last two photos are of the fine line of beading I did around the edge of the lace shrug I dyed with avocado dye. It is really hard to see, and is only a single line of beading, but it adds just a bit of weight, and sparkle when the light hits it just right. This project is done, as the lace is old and fairly fragile, and wouldn't take the weight of adding beads to the body of the piece. But I liked the way it turned out, and enjoyed the dying process with the avocado skins, so will try that again on something sturdier.

 The line of beads ( in case you really can't find it) is where the lace trim and the old lace tablecloth meet. Two purple beads to one rose pink bead sewn on with doubled quilting thread. In these photos the shrug looks almost peach colored, but in real life is a soft, antique rose pink.

That's the latest....hope you all are having a lovely Spring.

Drunken Spider Vest

This is the start of a pretty major embroidery and beading project, based on a photo I saw on Pinterest. Someone created a huge spiderweb strung with pearls and crystals. My first thought was, it would look awesome on the back of a jacket or vest. I had a denim jacket, but alas, it was stretch denim and wouldn't work for this project. Back to the Goodwill. Luckily, I found this cute little short-sleeved number for only $5.99.

I hated the funky roll-up sleeves. 

I didn't really want a collar on it either. It was also a bit tight across the back, so...off with the sleeves and collar. Then I took out my handy bar of soap and marked the spiderweb lines on the back. This spider isn't too particular about how her web looks, mainly because I wanted the design to be pretty free-form. Not sure just how a spider would get drunk...unless it had snacked on one too many flies that had been drinking out of someone's beer mug, but oh well.

The web design will get more complicated and crazier as I go. These lines are the foundation. I am going to find a plastic spider or maybe a spider pin to put in the center of the web, and then add a few plastic bugs as well. I might even wrap some in floss so they look like spider snack food hanging in the pantry.

Ooo, or I could even find a little picture of Vincent Price and sew him into the web, with a word bubble over his head saying "Help me, help me!" LOL

So, there is the start of the Drunken Spider Vest project. This one should be a lot of fun.

Spring Flip-Flops

I bet you thought I meant those funny, must have flip-flops that I personally love, and live in all summer. Nope. This is how I grudgingly deal with bi-polar Spring weather.

As Mother Nature flip-flops between Winter and Spring—one day it's dark, pouring rain and only 44 degrees, the next it's bright, sunny and 72 degrees—my schedule flip-flops in tandem with Hers.

When it's nice, I'm outside working in the yard and garden, clearing out all the dead winter wood and brush. That's when I discover just how many gophers have taken up residence since last summer. In this year's case there are so many holes it looks like someone did several strafing runs over my garden firing 27 mm rounds. I also had to take an inventory of how many plants I lost due to the mini ice age we had back in December. So far it looks like the succulents on the front walkway suffered the most attrition, and I may have lost the star jasmine in the big pot by the terrace steps, but the verdict is still out on that one. Robert and I also decided to eliminate the whole back side of the fenced garden, as it is slowing collapsing into the creek, and it would be way too expensive and labor intensive to shore it back up. Since that section also is in the shade most of the day, then in the afternoon is subjected to direct sunlight and intense heat during the summer, it's a pain in the butt to find something that can grow in those two extremes. The last thing I attempted was hydrangeas, and they have struggled. I may pot them up and put them in the shade on the deck. When I attempted to grow them anywhere else in the yard, the deer ate them to a nub. Yes, anything planted outside the fenced garden has to be deer proof.

The other thing I do when the weather is nice is work my horses. We just got a new one for my husband, who had to retire his old gelding, Apollo, who is now around 25 and looking his age. He just didn't have the stamina for the kinds of horse activities we do. The fact that the vet told us he has arthritis in all four legs, but especially in the hind, just sealed his retirement fate. So, now we have Strider, a seven-and-a-half-year-old Fox Trotter, who needs a lot of work, since his previous owner didn't ride him much. And just last Sunday we learned that he doesn't like going into a trailer. He loaded fine at his previous home, with his first mom leading him in. When we tried at our place he balked, pulled back and broke the tie-in, and we spent two hours working with him to finally get him back in and to stand quietly, then back out nicely. It's going to take many more sessions like that before we go anywhere, since I won't travel with a horse who won't load and unload easily.

Here is a photo of Robert on one of his first rides on Strider. My mare, Delight, is giving Strider the stink-eye as they go by. I think Delight is still secretly hoping Strider will go back where he came from, and she and Apollo can have their privacy back.

With the weather flipping back and forth, the biggest issue we have with working the horses is the bad footing. We have forest clay soil, and despite the varied ways we have tried to augment the ground to make it more workable, it eventually gets too slippery and sloggy to do anything faster than a walk. That's where things are now, which is pretty danged frustrating when the sun is shining and you really want to get some riding work in, and the most you can do is putz around. Not that there aren't a lot of things you can teach or perfect at the walk, but it does get tiresome after about a month. But I battle on, do what I can, and grit my teeth every time it rains and makes the ground even more slippery.

On days where it's dark and rainy, I work on projects inside, or, as I did the other morning, I go into town. Sometimes to run errands and visit the library to replenish my stash, or in this case, I trolled the Goodwill then went next door to JoAnn's Fabrics. It turned out to be fortuitous timing, since I found a few nice things at the Goodwill, and JoAnn's had all their jewelry supplies on sale for 40-75 percent off. I came home with two T-shirts to make another bolero, and a denim short-sleeved jacket for another project I have in mind, which I will go into more on my next post.

Here is a very dark photo (remember, I said it was a gloomy, rainy day) showing the treasures I came home with, all piled on the coffee table in the living room, which at the time was the brightest place in the house. I bought the patterned shirt because the color and leaf design reminded me of William Morris wallpaper. It was the first piece I found, and I figured the chances of finding a color to match it would be slim to zero, so I went poking around looking for a good contrasting color when I found the other T-shirt, which matched the color of the patterned one exactly. That was a lucky find, indeed. 

This lovely little hoard of goodies, shirts and findings, cost me under $20. The only thing I didn't think to get (my mind was in jewelry nirvana at all the things on sale) was some embroidery floss to match the dark green in the patterned shirt, since the binding on the bolero will be out of the solid aqua.

Oh gosh darn, I will have to go back to JoAnn's again. Life can be such a trial.

Avocado Skin Dye, Bleach Pens, and Hair Ornaments

February has been a month for new things. New techniques, new experiments, and even a new horse for my husband. The fun of all this is what finally sailed me out of the creative doldrums which had parked me dead-in-the-water for months. Here are just a few of the things I have been playing around with.

Avocado skin dye.

I saw a photo, probably on Pinterest, of a garment dyed with avocado skins. I loved the beautiful dusky rose color the dye created. Since Robert and I both love avocados, and I knew I could collect a nice stash of skins, I decided to give it a try. First I did a google search for "Dyeing cloth with avocado skins" since I had no clue how you actually created the dye. Turns out it is easy-peasy. You put the skin of one or two avocados (I used two) in about a gallon of water (I just filled a canning kettle half full), simmer the skins for 20 minutes, remove the skins and put in the cloth you intend to dye, and simmer that for another 20 minutes. I only had a small lace shrug and a tea towel I was dyeing, so didn't need a big batch of dye. For bigger garments or fabric yardage, you might want to use more water and skins, as the pieces need to be loose enough so that you can stir them a bit as they simmer.

Here is the shrug and the tea cloth simmering away in the dye.

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After they had simmered, I filled the sink with cold water, pulled the shrug and tea cloth out with a pair of tongs, and dunked them in the cold water. When they were cool enough to handle, I lightly wrung them out then put them in the dryer. That was it.

Here are the shrug—one I made years ago out of an old tablecloth—and the tea cloth before I dyed them. The shrug had started to turn yellow with age. The tea cloth I dyed so I could cut it up and use on something else as maybe part of an applique.

Here are the two pieces after I dyed them. The lace on the shrug was a surprise, as I couldn't remember if it was cotton or a synthetic. Luckily, it was cotton and dyed beautifully.  Even though I am not a pink lover, I have fallen in love with this soft rose, and will try dyeing more pieces, just to see what happens. That, and it gives me an excuse to eat more avocados.

This shows the lace trim a bit better. Now that the shrug has a new lease on life, I am thinking of adding some beading to it. We'll see, but it certainly looks better than it did before its dye job.

Now on to the next experiment...

Bleach pen drawing.

Bleach pens, available in the detergent section of grocery stores, are made for spot cleaning of stains on clothing, mildew on tiles, etc. You can also write or draw on cloth with them. The nozzles are not made for detailed work, and the flow of bleach can be kinda unpredictable, but I think with practice I could get fairly accurate with it. Pictured are my first attempt, done on denim scraps. I have to confess, I put the bleach on, set them out to let it work, and....accidentally forgot about them while I was working the avocado dye bath. I think the bleach got left on the denim for about an hour before I got around to washing it out. The piece to the left was the first try, and you can see I was just playing around with it. I got big blobs of bleach in some places, and skinny lines in others. I decided that simple designs would work best with this. The sample to the right is my second attempt, and worked better. I see using this technique on denim patches that could be stitched, embroidered, or beaded, then sewn to something else. I thought they would make nice decorative pockets. 

I was also thinking of doing a bolero and making simple animal drawings on it with the bleach pen, like ancient cave pictographs. That might be fun.

On to project number three...

Hair ornaments.

I have always loved antique hair combs and pics. I spent WAY too long on Pinterest one day drooling over photos of beautiful antique and vintage hair ornaments, and it got me to thinking about making my own. I needed a new jewelry direction. The pieces I had posted on my Etsy site has stagnated and not sold. It kinda depressed me. So I temporarily closed the site, took all the old pieces apart, and started playing around with making hair ornaments out of hammered copper and aluminum wire, beads, and pieces of vintage jewelry—mostly broken brooches or clip earrings. It is a learning curve for me, since wire has a mind of its own and what I am trying to do with it can be frustrating. I especially have to learn patience with the thin wire I use almost like thread, to attach decorative pieces on the to pics. Many times I have had to just put the piece down and walk away from my work table. Otherwise the piece would probably end up flying out the front door. Of course I would then waste hours trying to find it again so I could finish it. But along with the frustration I am having fun, and got really fired up about making these hair ornaments. Once I get these up on my Etsy site, I am going to keep the prices as low as possible, postal costs considered, and see how they do. 

Along with the hair ornaments, I decided to stick mainly to bracelets and earrings. For whatever reason, the necklaces never sold on Etsy, and rarely sold at the costume events I go to. I donated several to silent auctions and raffles, just to find them a home. I don't know whether it was because the necklaces cost more, or whether the designs weren't appealing, but in any case, it didn't seem worth it to keep making them if no one was interested. However, the earrings and bracelets and the one hair pic I made, all did pretty well.

So, here is an overview of some of the pieces I have made so far.

Next project is to make a light box so I can finally take decent photos of my pieces. That has been an on-going problem ever since I opened the Etsy site. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't get nice, clear, close up photos. The light box, easy to make from a heavy cardboard box (many examples found on Pinterest), will fix all that and make the site look more professional.

So that has been my month of February. How did yours go?